Edmund Fitzgerald

Date 11-10-05

I was deckhand on a Gaelic Tugboat Co. tugboat ( I believe it was the Galway) that day and we were enroute with a tankbarge to fuel the ss Sylvania which was at the Semet Solvay dock just upriver from the Zug Island dock the Fitz was unloading at. Back then I took many pictures of the old lakers that were still sailing - virtually floating history- ( the Sylvania was my personal favorite -built in Bay City in 1905)..
...as we were passing the Fitz she looked so "regal" on that beautiful crisp fall day I decided to take pictures of her even tho relatively "new" by my standard for taking ship photos. I would usually let the newer vessels pass and "save" my film for the "good old ones". The Captain of the tug that day was in fact the Gaelic Tugboat Co. owner Capt. Bill Hoey and many times like that he would pass his camera out to me from the wheelhouse and ask me to take one for him too..as I did that day too.

When the Fitz sank Robert E. Lee then Curator of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle (-who had given me my first "one man show" of my marine artwork) put together a nice softcover booklet commorating the Fitz. I mentioned taking the photos - he did some research and informed me that I had taken quite possibly at that time, the "last known photos of the Fitz" - and he used the stern view in his booklet - which is still available in reprint...here we are 30 years later....

So, that is the long and short of it..Time sure flies

Best wishes for a successful "memorial". I understand my boss will be helping out with a tugboat as well - very nice. I was just about in a position to go however I am attending a funeral @ 10:30 tomorrow.

Regards,
LaMarre

"last known photos of the Fitz"

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